Positive Same Restaurant Sales Across All Segments
Despite challenging weather conditions, all four segments achieved positive same restaurant sales growth, excluding weather impacts.
Successful Launch of Olive Garden Menu Favorites
Olive Garden's updated menu featuring fan favorites led to significant improvements in base traffic and sales trends, along with high social media engagement.
Expansion of Uber Direct Partnership
Olive Garden's partnership with Uber Direct for delivery showed promising growth, with delivery orders doubling during the pilot and achieving higher check averages than curbside pickup.
Opening of New Smaller Prototypes
Yard House and Cheddar's opened new, smaller prototypes performing above expectations, indicating potential for accelerated new restaurant openings.
Strong Financial Performance
Darden generated a 6% increase in total sales to $3.2 billion, with adjusted diluted net earnings per share up 6.9% from the previous year.
LongHorn Steakhouse Sales Growth
LongHorn reported a 5.1% increase in total sales, driven by a 2.6% growth in same restaurant sales and the addition of 14 net new restaurants.